2021 Annual Report: Extraordinary Women Delivering Extraordinary Results
Author: info@klassikdigital.co.za
In just under a week, mothers2mothers (m2m) will share exciting plans for our next five years.
But before we do, we want to take a look back at the remarkable growth in scale, scope, and impact that our pioneering Mentor Mother Model has achieved over the past 20 years, and last year alone, in our newly released 2021 Annual Report.
2021 was a milestone year at m2m. We celebrated our 20th anniversary and our evolution from a single health centre in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2001, to a proudly African non-governmental organisation (NGO). Today, we deliver a range of services designed to improve health outcomes for entire families at health facilities, door-to-door in communities, and remotely through eServices, across 10 nations, serving well over one million people each year.
None of that could have been possible without the extraordinary women at the heart of our work—who are trained and employed as Community Health Workers called Mentor Mothers, and who deliver extraordinary results for marginalised communities.
The reach and impact data in our 2021 Annual Report highlights how m2m’s Peer Mentor Model is more relevant and critical than ever, especially as growing inequities and health disparities put more women and other vulnerable populations at risk. Even amid ongoing disruptions from COVID-19, m2m continued to achieve remarkable results last year. Among the highlights:
- m2m reached more than 1.6M new and returning clients in 2021, through direct services and technical assistance provided to partners—22% more than the year before.
- We achieved virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV among our enrolled clients for the eighth consecutive year.
- We achieved UNAIDS' ambitious Fast-Track targets for ending HIV/AIDS, four years ahead of the 2025 target date.
- We also ensured vulnerable populations stayed healthy and thrived. For example, we reached 51% more adolescents, compared to 2020. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of children enrolled in our Early Childhood Development programme achieved their developmental milestones by their first birthday.
This would not have been possible without the unwavering commitment and generous support of our donors, partners, Board Members and Trustees, staff, and friends. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported and encouraged us over the years, helping us grow, innovate, and change with the times.
We hope you enjoy this first installment of our Annual Report. You can read it here. Please stay tuned for exciting news about our new strategic direction next week.